Effect of Aqueous Ozone on the NF-κB System

Ozone has been proposed as an alternative oral antiseptic in
dentistry, due to its antimicrobial power reported for gaseous and
aqueous forms, the latter showing a high biocompatibility with
mammalian cells. New therapeutic strategies for the treatment of
periodontal disease and apical periodontitis should consider not
only antibacterial effects, but also their influence on the host
immune response. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the effect
of aqueous ozone on the NF-κB system, a paradigm for
inflammationassociated signaling/transcription. We showed that
NF-κB activity in oral cells stimulated with TNF, and in
periodontal ligament tissue from root surfaces of periodontally
damaged teeth, was inhibited following incubation with ozonized
medium. Under this treatment, IκBalpah proteolysis, cytokine
expression, and κB-dependent transcription were prevented. Specific
ozonized amino acids were shown to represent major inhibitory
components of ozonized medium. In summary, our study establishes a
condition under which aqueous ozone exerts inhibitory effects on
the NF-κB system, suggesting that it has an antiinflammatory
capacity.